1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to modular, insulated masonry blocks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As building standards have evolved in recent times, insulation has assumed an ever more prominent role. For a long time, masonry construction has been valued for its durability and appearance, and any deficiency in the insulative value thereof has been accepted. Solid masonry walls, such as brick and stone, are dense, but this density passes heat to an extent now unacceptable. Where insulation was required, it was provided by insulation placed inside the wall after the masonry was in place.
Modular masonry units incorporating internal insulation have been developed, and several representative examples are discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,199,112, issued to Jeremiah J. O'Leary on Apr. 30, 1940, discloses an insulation filled masonry unit including protruding pins for maintaining orientation of the block in a wall assembly while accommodating thermal expansion, and also having internal reinforcing rods. It should be noted that O'Leary's masonry unit has conventional masonry construction including voids, and is not a sandwich wherein masonry walls are separated. Instead, the masonry portion of the block is continuous, and the voids are filled with insulation.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,182,470, issued to Jay Erdman on Dec. 5, 1939, discloses a three part insulated masonry unit having outside masonry walls sandwiching a layer of insulation. Internal metal ties are provided. All external surfaces of Erdman's masonry unit are flush.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,815,921, issued to Samuel Lapof on Jul. 28, 1931, is directed to a masonry block incorporating a sheet of lead therein for blocking X-rays. Lapof shows adhesion of a material normally associated with insulation to the lead sheet. The invention resides in the masonry blocks, and no cooperating external apparatus is disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,925,103, issued to Donald A. Loftus et al. on Sep. 5, 1933, describes an insulated building block based around a conventional concrete or like structural block. The block is clad with insulating material at the interior and exterior surfaces. The insulating material spans two flanges formed in the concrete portion of the block, thus rendering those surfaces flush. A brick fascia is then applied to one of the interior or exterior surfaces, and the cores of the concrete block remain open.
A building block shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,071, issued to Carl R. Sams et al. on Sep. 30, 1986, combines features of Erdman '470 and Loftus et al. '103. A sandwich having masonry external walls sandwiching an insulating core has offset slab members, thus defining grooves in one surface and corresponding flanges in an opposed surface, This is provided only in the four external surfaces which will mate with other blocks. This arrangement enables succeeding blocks to interlock with their predecessors as a wall is assembled. The insulating core is not continuous, having cylindrical voids formed therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,094, issued to Jean L. Beliveau on Dec. 10, 1985, illustrates another block having offset slabs for interlocking. A block suitably adapted for corners is shown. Adjacent blocks are spanned by an elongated angle channel describing an ell in cross-section, thereby unifying a wall built up from Beliveau's blocks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,948, issued to Millard R. Warren on Nov. 22, 1977, discloses a masonry block having a square core. The core has a slab of insulating material disposed longitudinally therein. The slab does not occupy the entire core, and is sandwiched by air-filled voids to the external and internal sides of the slab. The solid portions of the block, i.e., the masonry and insulation portions, leave generally flush external surfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,241, issued to Knud Jensen et al. on Mar. 18, 1980, discloses a plug made from insulating material and configured to cooperate with the open core of a masonry block. The plug includes a protruding portion to space successive courses apart, thereby assisting in forming mortar joints therebetween.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,928, issued to Otto Magerle on Nov. 1, 1977, discloses a masonry unit comprising front and rear masonry walls enclosing a core made from insulating material. The masonry unit described therein is of the sandwich type, in that the front and rear walls are separated from one another. The core is hollow, there being an air filled void. After building the wall, concrete is poured into these voids to unify the wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,959, issued to Donald T. Schmidt on Nov. 12, 1985, discloses a sandwich-type insulated masonry block wherein the front and rear walls include projections which interfit so as to cause the insulation filling the space between these walls to define a serpentine path. The external surfaces of the block are flush.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,087,541, issued to Frederick H. Koester on Jul. 20, 1937, discloses a building block which is not of the sandwich-type. The block includes a core made from insulating material and having a skeleton made up from slats. External lateral edges of the block are grooved to receive a cooperating tie-rod which extends along a plurality of blocks. The tie-rod is adhered to each block, and does not penetrate them.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.